Animal Kingdom, HS, and Epcot in 1 day?

[rebeccadunham]

First trip to DW traveling with my husband, mother in law, and two daughters (ages 4 & 9). We only have 2 day park hopper. We are planning on spending one whole day at MK. We were planning on spending 2nd day (Sept 30th so it's a low crowd day) at AK then Epcot. I've mapped it out on touringplans and we only want to do Pandora stuff & 2 other rides at AK, with early admission that day it looks like we would be done by 10:00. I was planning on heading straight to Epcot for the rest of the day but it's my husband's birthday and he's really into Star Wars. I'm wondering if I can squeeze Hollywood Studios in. We would just ride Toy Story and see some Disney Jr Characters while my husband checks out the star wars stuff. I've mapped it all out on touring plans allowing an hour possibly a bit more to go from AK to HS to Epcot and it looks possible but I'm still a bit apprehensive. My youngest daughter is only 38" tall so there isn't much she can ride at Epcot and we're not interested in any of the videos or anything. We just want to ride a few of the rides, meet Mulan and the Frozen characters, and possibly wander around and snack a bit. Am I allowing enough time for travel? I know it will be a super long day but does it actually seem possible? Has anyone ever done it before?

 

[kreckl]

When I first read your title I thought it was nuts
but, since you have an extremely limited area of interest in each park, it sounds doable.
It will be a lot of walking for your little one, I would suggest a stroller.
Good luck!

 

[katyjeka]

Wow, you'll have a busy day!!! We have been visiting for over twenty years and we've notice crowd levels are a lot higher than "predicted" on the crowd level sites. It takes a lot of time to enter and exit a park, I'm not sure if you are taking buses, staying onsite, etc... You also have to allow time for restroom breaks and meals. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm sure it can but at what cost? I think you may get more out of the experience by picking a few must and being happy with that. Seeing less and enjoying the experience is more important than seeing it all in my opinion. Have a great trip.

 

[Klayfish]

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I'd say that if you did it, it would be a whale of a tiring day. First, don't rely on crowd calendars and an app to make a plan for you. Crowd calendars have rather questionable accuracy. Besides, they're highly subjective...so a "9" to one person could be a "3" to another. So do NOT rely on some prediction to say Sept 30th is a low crowd day. It may or may not be.

I don't know you'd be done Pandora by 10:00am. I suppose if you show up at 7am or earlier for an 8am opening, you might...if you FP+ FOP. At Epcot, there is plenty DD can ride. Spaceship Earth, Nemo, Turtle Talk, Figment, Pixar Short films, FEA, Living with the Land, plus the character meets. If you got to Epcot at 11am and used FP+ very smartly, you'd finish all of that around 3pm, probably 4pm. Get to HS at 5pm and try to get a FP+ for TSMM and then do all the Star Wars stuff.

That's assuming all goes ideally according to plan. So yeah, I guess it's possible, but that would be a true commando day for sure...I hadn't even really figured in time to do things like eat.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

First trip to DW traveling with my husband, mother in law, and two daughters (ages 4 & 9). We only have 2 day park hopper. We are planning on spending one whole day at MK. We were planning on spending 2nd day (Sept 30th so it's a low crowd day) at AK then Epcot. I've mapped it out on touringplans and we only want to do Pandora stuff & 2 other rides at AK, with early admission that day it looks like we would be done by 10:00. I was planning on heading straight to Epcot for the rest of the day but it's my husband's birthday and he's really into Star Wars. I'm wondering if I can squeeze Hollywood Studios in. We would just ride Toy Story and see some Disney Jr Characters while my husband checks out the star wars stuff. I've mapped it all out on touring plans allowing an hour possibly a bit more to go from AK to HS to Epcot and it looks possible but I'm still a bit apprehensive. My youngest daughter is only 38" tall so there isn't much she can ride at Epcot and we're not interested in any of the videos or anything. We just want to ride a few of the rides, meet Mulan and the Frozen characters, and possibly wander around and snack a bit. Am I allowing enough time for travel? I know it will be a super long day but does it actually seem possible? Has anyone ever done it before?

According to park hours for that day, you have from 8 am (opening of AK) to 10 pm (closing of EP) to get everything in. Is it possible? Sure! Is it ideal for kids that young, probably not. Honestly, there is so much in AK beyond the rides (the shows, the animal paths). I would just be really sure you really don't want to see more than Pandora and the other 2 rides you are interested in. Have you decided how you will choose your FP+ for that day? TSMM and FEA (you didn't mention if you want to ride, but I'm assuming you are) are both really popular rides that typically require FP+. If you want to ride both, you will need to choose which one you want to FP+ and which one you will risk standby for. If you do decide to do this, I HIGHLY recommend paying for the express bus for this day so you don't have to go through security three times at three parks - that will really cut into your time in the parks. It will be a lot of walking. AK and EP are huge. As long as you go in knowing you won't get a full experience at any of these 3 parks, it's worth a try, but don't be surprised if your kids get super tired by the time you get to EP.

 

[keepswimming76]

I think it is doable, and worth trying since you only have 2 days. We once did AK, MK and HS in one day with a 3 and 7 year old. We did have a stroller so that was helpful for when the kiddos were tired and we needed to move fast. Have a good plan mapped out and expect the unexpected.

 

[Minnesota!]

We have done 3 parks in one day...definitely do-able. I would not recommend it for a first timer...as you will discover other things that pique your interest and then you will be torn - "keep the schedule" or "Smell the roses".

 

[ElenaRN]

Def doable but it will be hectic. And with kids (mine at least) we can never seem to leave anywhere quickly. That being said we've done all 4 parks in 1 day twice in our Disney history. Proud moments!